Every year many people are robbed, assaulted, attacked or otherwise find themselves victims of violent crimes. Such crimes include robbery, armed robbery, assault, aggravated assault, assault with a deadly weapon, battery, aggravated battery, manslaughter, 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree murders, and rape. These crimes deprive victims of possessions, and place them in physical harm, immediate danger, and traumatizing situations. For example, victims of sexual assault and extremely violent crimes may never fully recover. Humans have an instinctual natural desire to feel safe and stay free from any potential threat. However in modern day society as population and uncertainty increase, the number of violent crimes increase as well. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 231,589,260 people were victims of crimes in the United States in 2002.
Many people with mobile devices (e.g. smart phones) are viewed by violent offenders as easy targets with expendable income, thus making them more likely to run into a harmful situation while walking to and from a college class, the library, the grocery store, the mall, local hang-out areas, a bar/club, an empty street/alley or anywhere else that they may be traveling to or from. In these situations, self-defense capability can mean the difference between life and death.
There are a number of self-defense devices and mechanisms currently available on the market, including pepper spray, tear gas, dyes, and personal alarms. There are a number of drawbacks associated with current self-defense devices. One drawback is that people frequently forget to take the device with them and therefore have no access to the device in dangerous situations. Another drawback is the inability to access a defense system quickly enough to respond to an unexpected attack.